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Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-constrained world Erik Mathijs
8

F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

Jan 21, 2015

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Page 1: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-constrained world

Erik Mathijs

Page 2: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

INEVITABLE…?

“By 2050 the world’s population will reach 9.2 billion (…). Nearly all of

this population increase will occur in developing countries. (…) about 70

percent of the world’s population will be urban (…). Income levels will be

many multiples of what they are now. In order to feed this larger, more

urban and richer population, food production (net of food used for

biofuels) must increase by 70 percent.” (FAO)

…UNDERLYING WORLDVIEW?

Page 3: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

INTRODUCTION

• Purpose: guide European agricultural research with respect to future orientations

• Final aim: building blocks to prepare transition towards a sustainable ag and food system

• Client: EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research & European Commission (DG RTD, DG Agri)

• Timing: June 2010 – February 2011• Execution: 8 external experts, supported by SCAR working group and

stakeholder consultation/validation through workshop

Page 4: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

METHOD

• Meta-study: scan foresight activities and academic papers (2009 / 2010)

• Framework: transition theory

• Emphasis: resource scarcity

• Discourse analysis: make implicit underlying worldview

Page 5: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

RESULTS

1. Sense of urgency due to resource scarcities accelerates (due to interactions)

2. Way we look at problems and solutions differs fundamentally between productivity-oriented (“more with less”) and sufficiency-oriented thinking (“less is more”)

3. Not productivity or sufficiency, but productivity and sufficiency – all approaches are necessary, no silver bullet

Source: Rockstrom et al.

Page 6: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world
Page 7: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

TRANSITION PATHWAYS

• Consumer driven• Technology driven (biotech,

GMO, nano, ICT, agro-ecologyg)

• Organizational innovation driven (CSR, social innovation, global governance)

Narratives of food productionand consumption

Biophysical scarcities

Socio-economic and political context

Transition pathways

Long-term vision - Research needs

Research policy implications

Page 8: F1. Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-contrained world

IMPACT AND CALL TO ACTION

• Take into account often implicit underlying values and worldviews and stimulate diversity

• Consider multiple pathways that may contradict or reinforce each other• Help stakeholders engage into frame-breaking thinking, not only in future

scenarios, but also with respect to current system

Cattle Feedlot. NDSU Ag Communication February 11, 2011

CSA farm in Leuven, Belgium